There has been increasing concern expressed about the welfare of exotic pets worldwide. For the purposes of this article, an exotic pet is considered to be a non-domesticated species, where there are knowledge gaps on good practice (minimum standards of care), veterinary diagnostics and treatments. The categories of exotic pets included in this study were: small mammals (< 20 kg), large mammals (> 20 kg), birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, rats, and ferrets were excluded from the study. An online survey of veterinary professionals conducted between July and August 2020 provides the first empirical data for Ireland. In this pilot study (the second in this thematic series) we aim to characterise the provision of veterinary services to exotic pets from the veterinary professionals’ perspective, explore the main concerns of veterinary professionals towards exotic pet ownership, and their recommendations to support responsible exotic pet ownership. Using an online survey this pilot study gathered evidence from 63 veterinary professionals currently working in private practice in Ireland. The prevalence of veterinary services for exotic pets in Ireland was determined to be 82% of small and mixed animal clinics of respondents’ practices ranging from 9.1 to 100% for different categories of exotic pets. The most common issues encountered in practice with exotic pets were related to nutrition, environment, and behaviour followed by clinical diseases such as respiratory, infectious, and gastrointestinal issues. The most common concerns veterinary professionals had with exotic pet ownership related to the lack of owner knowledge as well as the lack of veterinary knowledge and accessible resources. The most common strategic initiatives indicated by veterinary professionals included black or white lists (to prohibit and permit the keeping of exotic pet species respectively), licensing for owners and increased availability of CPD for veterinary professionals. More than four in every five veterinary professionals in small or mixed animal practices surveyed were willing to treat exotic pets and in many cases they already were. A scaffold for best practice is required to support the health and welfare of exotic pets and responsible ownership. Keystones include veterinary education to support veterinary professionals with daily practice, establishing a white list of exotic species that are suitable as pets, registration at the point of purchase to enable traceability for biosecurity purposes and research to identify care standards to support the health and welfare of exotic pets.

中文翻译：

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爱尔兰的外来宠物：2. 兽医服务的提供以及兽医专业人员对负责任主人的看法


人们对全世界外来宠物的福利越来越关注。就本文而言，外来宠物被认为是非驯化物种，在良好实践（最低护理标准）、兽医诊断和治疗方面存在知识差距。本研究包括的外来宠物类别为：小型哺乳动物（< 20 kg）、大型哺乳动物（> 20 kg）、鸟类、爬行动物、两栖动物、鱼类和无脊椎动物。狗、猫、兔子、仓鼠、沙鼠、豚鼠、小鼠、大鼠和雪貂被排除在研究之外。 2020 年 7 月至 8 月期间对兽医专业人员进行的在线调查为爱尔兰提供了第一份实证数据。在这项试点研究（本专题系列的第二项）中，我们旨在从兽医专业人员的角度描述为外来宠物提供兽医服务的特点，探讨兽医专业人员对外来宠物饲养的主要关注点，以及他们支持负责任的外来宠物的建议宠物所有权。这项试点研究通过在线调查收集了目前在爱尔兰私人诊所工作的 63 名兽医专业人士的证据。在爱尔兰，针对外来宠物的兽医服务普及率被确定为小型和混合动物诊所的 82%，受访者对不同类别的外来宠物的实践范围从 9.1% 到 100%。外来宠物实践中遇到的最常见问题与营养、环境和行为有关，其次是呼吸道、传染病和胃肠道问题等临床疾病。兽医专业人士对饲养外来宠物最常见的担忧与缺乏主人知识以及缺乏兽医知识和可用资源有关。 兽医专业人士指出的最常见的战略举措包括黑名单或白名单（分别禁止和允许饲养外来宠物物种）、为主人颁发许可以及为兽医专业人士提供更多的 CPD 服务。接受调查的小型或混合动物诊所中，超过五分之四的兽医专业人员愿意治疗外来宠物，而且在许多情况下他们已经这样做了。需要一个最佳实践的框架来支持外来宠物的健康和福利以及负责任的饲养。重点包括兽医教育以支持兽医专业人员的日常实践、建立适合作为宠物的外来物种白名单、在购买点进行登记以实现生物安全目的的可追溯性以及研究以确定护理标准以支持动物的健康和福利异国情调的宠物。